Atletico Madrid finally secured their first win of the season at the weekend. Los Rojiblancos defeated Villarreal 2-0 at the RiyadhAir Metropolitano but the victory came at a cost. Diego Simeone’s side could be without two key players when Atletico Madrid travel to Anfield for their opening Champions League league phase clash against Liverpool on Wednesday.
The timing could hardly be worse for Atletico, who face a Liverpool side that have made a perfect start to the Premier League season. The Reds have grinded out back-to-back clean-sheet victories over Arsenal and Burnley following a thrilling win away at Newcastle.
Atletico Madrid’s star striker Julian Alvarez was forced off at half-time against Villarreal after picking up a knee issue. Meanwhile, defender David Hancko suffered a sprained ankle shortly after being introduced late in the second half. As a result, both the players are now major doubts for the pivotal clash against Liverpool.
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Notably, Atletico Madrid medical staff is set to assess whether the duo will recover in time to make the trip to England. If not, their absence would be a significant blow to Diego Simeone, who is already juggling a long list of absentees.
Atletico Madrid are already without Alex Baena, Thiago Almada, and Jose Maria Gimenez. The trio is already confirmed to miss the tie. There was some better news for Atleti though, as Robin Le Normand and Nicolas Gonzalez are expected to be fit for Wednesday’s game.
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Simeone will be desperate to have Alvarez’s attacking spark and Hancko’s defensive presence to boost his side’s chances of getting a positive result at Anfield. All eyes will be on the final injury updates as Atletico weigh up their options. Simeone will likely need to shuffle his system if his two stars fail to recover in time. It could further complicate what is already one of the toughest fixtures in Europe.
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